


Fortunes

by iavenjqasdf



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, uhh idk what else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 13:31:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9609590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iavenjqasdf/pseuds/iavenjqasdf
Summary: Knowing something and seeing it for yourself are different things





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tattedmariposa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattedmariposa/gifts).



> for Lily, who generously donated $25 to Planned Parenthood in exchange for a drabble of her choice. Hope I did them justice!

Orochi was confused.

She’d assumed her first thoughts upon seeing her beloved return alive would be those of relief and joy. Yet when she saw the ninja’s head bowed in shame, an arm slung over Kaze’s shoulder as he helped her toward the castle, her first reaction was one of concern. Was Kagero hurt? Where had she been all this time?

She knew better than to run at her the moment she entered her line of sight; their relationship was no secret, of course, but Orochi knew the protocol. Kagero would have to be debriefed and checked for injuries before she could go free, and adding herself to the mix would just complicate matters. So she held her tongue and watched from a distance as the ninja hobbled into the clinic, trying to suppress the darker thoughts clawing at her mind.

~

It went unsaid that Orochi was worried for Kagero; the way she navigated around the premises in such a way that she would pass by the tent every few minutes was a dead giveaway. When Sakura emerged and gave a weary thumbs-up in her direction, she practically threw the scrolls she was carrying to the ground and made a beeline for the tent.

Orochi was simultaneously shocked and relieved by Kagero’s state; she’d certainly seen better days, and the bandages wound around the ninja’s midsection were admittedly alarming, but she didn’t seem pale or unalert. And she knew, abstractly, that if Sakura had deemed her work to be done, it meant her patient was either on their way to recovery or beyond saving. But it wouldn’t hurt to make sure, would it?

Kagero’s face lit up as Orochi made her entrance, wincing slightly as she sat up on her futon. “I was wondering when you’d come by,” she smiled, and Orochi audibly sighed in relief at the sight. Rare as they were, Kagero’s smiles were like a beacon of safety in the dark, its importance only highlighted by its absence.

“The moment an opportunity presented itself, of course,” Orochi did her best to return the gesture, but found herself on the verge of tears instead. “How much ass did you kick out there?”

“Not enough, clearly,” Kagero sighed, averting her gaze suddenly. “Words cannot express my shame. If Lord Ryoma returns in one piece, I expect to be disciplined for such-“

Kagero’s rant was interrupted by the last sound she expected to hear from Orochi; a sob. She made herself turn back towards the diviner, and found a trail of tears streaking down her face. “Is something the matter?”

“How can you speak of yourself in such a way?” Orochi’s voice wavered, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. “You’re back, and you’re _alive_. That’s already so important-“

“What’s important was my mission, and I’ve failed it,” Kagero declared. “Now, while I’m lying back and relaxing, Lord Ryoma is out there, unprotected.”

Orochi sighed, taking a moment to compose herself. “I’m sorry I brought it up,” she started. “But you know Ryoma. Better than anyone else does, I’d wager. He can take care of himself, he’ll be fine.”

A moment passed before Orochi added, “If it matters any, his fortune said as much.”

“Then why were you so relieved to see me again? Shouldn’t your fortunes have told you that as well?”

“Yes, they did. I read them daily, in fact,” Orochi admitted. “But knowing something and seeing it for yourself are different things.”

“Then you know how I feel now,” Kagero countered.

Orochi had to admit, she had a point.

Not knowing how to respond, they sat together in silence. The light filtering through the fabric of the tent grew darker, and Orochi was nodding off, when something brushing against her knee woke her. She took Kagero’s hand, scarred and rough unlike her own, and held it.

“I thought of you, too,” Kagero murmured.

“Hmm?”

“Every day,” she continued. “Despite the burning shame, and the pain they inflicted, I held on. I couldn’t stand to give up knowing how you’d feel.”

Orochi wrapped her arms around Kagero’s shoulders carefully, doing her best to avoid agitating her injuries as she pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you,” Orochi whispered, and no more needed to be said.


End file.
